


Pandora's Kiss

by SophieAyase



Category: Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Sex Pollen, Smut, Survivor Continuity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-24 05:49:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19167061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieAyase/pseuds/SophieAyase
Summary: Lara's determined the location of the famed Pandora's Box, and with Sam around to document the discovery, she's bound for fame. Until they manage to knock it open.





	Pandora's Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Welsper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welsper/gifts).



> So when I was looking through the requester's prompts one stuck out: "They find a mysterious artefact and try to find out its secrets!" I'd already been thinking about a Lara/Sam fic inspired by the Louise song "Pandora's Kiss" featuring Pandora's Box, trying to work out what that would entail. Then I saw a mention of sex pollen in the requester's likes, and put two and two together to make five...

“So, Pandora’s box.”

Sam was staring down at the huge jar I held. “That’s its traditional name, yes,” I murmured.

She squinted at it. “Doesn’t look very box-like, does it?”

“In the original Greek, it was referred to as a jar,” I said. “The term ‘box’ was a mistranslation.”

“Mm-hmm.” She seemed anxious.

“Something wrong, Sam?”

“No, I’m just… wondering how we’re going to get it out of here. Considering we _lost all your packing materials on the way here_.”

I chose to ignore her unspoken taunt. Yes, technically it had been my fault that we’d taken that spill from the road and a bag of supplies, including our twine and zip-ties, had rolled into the sea. But who would have expected the jeep to jostle quite so much? Frankly, we were extremely fortunate to be uninjured.

“They were just precautions,” I said with a confidence I had to internally admit I didn’t feel. “It’s not a difficult path back out. We’ll just have to be careful not to jostle it and knock it open.”

“Oh, ‘be careful,’” Sam teased. “Because that worked so well with the jeep.” I knew enough to know I wasn’t going to win this argument.

“ _Anyway,_ ” I said, “even if it were knocked open, I doubt much would happen.”

“Oh, sure,” Sam retorted. “Just like nothing happened with Queen Himiko and her undead soldiers.”

I scowled. “That was an exception.”

“Or in Kitezh. Or with the Dagger of—”

“Point taken,” I interrupted. “But as you’ll recall, all those had to do with death. Or the lack thereof. There’s nothing in the myth of Pandora’s box about death or immortality.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Sure. Just pestilence and plague. What could _possibly_ go wrong?”

“You’re certainly optimistic today,” I said, trying to hide my annoyance.

She giggled. “Sorry, Lara. I guess I’m cranky. It’s been a long day.”

“You got some good shots outside, no?”

“I got some good shots outside, yes,” she said with a smirk, then sighed. “Too bad it’s too dark in here for anything approaching quality camera work.” She gazed up a dozen feet or so to the rather small door through which we’d entered from the level above. “And no way to get better equipment in. Unless…”

“Samantha, you are absolutely _not_ going to desecrate an ancient site in order to fit lighting equipment down here for the sake of a documentary about twelve people will see.”

Sam fake pouted, then grinned. “Give yourself some credit, Lara. Once people learn you’ve found the actual Pandora’s box, you’ll be an archaeological superstar!”

I half-smiled back at her. “I think you’re overestimating—”

“Everyone will want to see our movie. You’ll be on the _Today_ show!”

“Maybe _Lorraine_ , if I’m extremely lucky, which—”

“You’ll be a superstar.” Sam said this with such confidence that for a moment, I believed her. Then I came to my senses.

“Among the _National Geographic_ set, sure,” I said with a chuckle.

“Oh, come on!” Sam scoffed. “You _know_ this is going to be a major story.” She held her hands in front of her as if arranging a marquee. “‘British Peer Discovers Pandora’s Box.’ ‘Pandora’s Box: Fact or Fake?’ ‘Lara Croft, Heroine of the _National Geographic_ Set.’” By now, I was giggling too, even as I shifted the weight of the jar a bit in my arms. “Think of the clickbait headlines,” Sam continued. “‘Historians Call Pandora’s Box Fake News – Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Listen.’ And then Buzzfeed will get in on it! ‘15 Reasons to Be Excited About the Pandora’s Box Discovery. Reason one: It gives us new material for our crappy lists.’”

By now we were both laughing to ourselves as Sam’s gestures grew more and more animated. “‘Reason two,’” she continued, “‘There’s an _amazing_ movie coming out about it from up-and-coming filmmaker Samantha Nishimura, sure to land her a spot in Hollywood’s elite and her lifelong best friend Lara Croft in the upper reaches of the academy. Reason three: Maybe Pandora the website will sue someone and we’ll get an exciting legal story. Reason four: You too can now learn that Pandora’s box is actually a jar. Reason five’—”

“Hey!” Sam had accidentally smacked me in the face, pushing me backward, just far enough to set me off balance.

“Huh? Oh, shit, sorry!” She reached out to steady me, but I was already having trouble keeping my footing on the dirt floor. Instead, I started pulling her down with me…

“The box!” I yelled. I hugged it tight to my body, trying to keep it from opening, or worse, breaking. But before I could finish getting the words out, I was flat on my back, Sam’s arm wedged under me.

“It’s safe,” Sam breathed.

“Yeah.” I tried to sit up, but getting enough purchase on the floor made it tough. Finally, I succeeded, with a grunt of effort, the jar unharmed.

“Oof!” Sam popped up behind me, accidentally smacking into my shoulder blade as she did. My body lurched forward, just an inch or so.

Which was just about half an inch too far.

The jar tipped forward, and even as I tried to grab it, it fell through my grasp, landing on its side, the lid popping off.

“Oh, shit,” Sam said. I just stared at it. “That one was my bad?” she joked meekly, while I hastily recapped the jar.

“Well!” I breathed. “I’m not feeling particularly plagued. You?”

“No. Not pestilenced, either,” Sam replied. I laughed. “So, what does that mean?” she asked. “It’s _not_ the real Pandora’s box? Damn, I never would’ve thought I’d be disappointed I didn’t accidentally unleash a box full of terrors.”

“I think it’s the real thing, at least insofar as it’s the jar that inspired the writings about Pandora’s box,” I replied. “Quite possibly, _unlike_ Queen Himiko or the Dagger, it never had magical powers to begin with.”

“Or maybe they, I don’t know, faded out over time? Like expired medicine,” Sam suggested.

I cackled, even though Sam’s comment wasn’t that funny. “What are you laughing at?” she asked, though laughter was creeping into her voice as well. “I didn’t make a joke…” Then she broke into a loud laugh too.

That was something I’d always liked about her, I thought. She was so joyful that it just made me want to hold her tight and press my lips against her neck. I grabbed her arm to pull her toward me and…

_What was I doing?_

“Sam… do you feel strange?”

“Strange how?” Sam choked down the last of her laughter.

I thought for a moment, struggling to put a name to it. “Sort of high.”

Sam tried to give me a serious look, but the giggles bubbling up in her ruined the effect. “Actually, Lara, considering the circumstances, I’m feeling quite low at the moment.” She started laughing in earnest at her own joke, and despite my better judgment, so did I.

“I mean, now that you mention it, I feel kind of high. It must be the thrill of finding the box, though, don’t you think? Like a runner’s high?”

“It could be,” I said. I’d intended to finish my sentence, but for some reason I was feeling the urge to cuddle up against Sam and snuggle my head into her shoulder.

She giggled and reached up to run a hand through my hair. “Or?” she prompted.

“Or you weren’t too far off with that expired medicine idea,” I murmured. “Or the box’s powers were never on the scale of the myths, and it just grew like a tall tale…”

Sam was pressing her fingers against my scalp now, massaging it. “So, what, the legendary Pandora’s box didn’t unleash death and destruction, just laughing gas? Wow, I bet dentists would pay good money for that magic.”

I laughed, but something clicked into place. “I don’t think it’s just laughing gas,” I said. “I think it’s also an aphrodisiac.” I should have been embarrassed to admit it, but I wasn’t. Probably because my mind was getting off on the mystical equivalent of nitrous oxide.

Sam’s hand went still. “Oh. That’s why you’re - oh.”

I scooted an inch away. “Shit, Sam, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize… but that’s no excuse…”

“It’s fine,” she said, scooting an inch closer to me again. “That explains why I’m feeling it too.”

My head turned to face her, as if of its own accord. “You are?!”

“Yeah. I thought it was just because, well, here’s my super hot best friend, and she’s just found this amazing artifact… thing… and I was so proud of you and everything that, like, why wouldn’t I get the hots for you?”

I could only focus on one thing in that run-on sentence, even as I felt an entirely uncharacteristic blush spreading across my face. “You think I’m super hot?”

Sam resumed rubbing my head. “Duh, Lara. You _know_ you’re gorgeous.”

“You know you are too, right?” The words came out of my mouth on their own, but by now I was more grateful for that than anything.

“Of course I do.” She grinned. “But it’s nice to know you do too.”

“Mmm.” We sat for a moment, Sam rubbing my head, me gently rubbing her leg through her jeans. Then I broke the silence. “I’m going to kiss you now,” I said, with a confidence I’d never had in anything romantic. Was it the effect of the box, or was it that I somehow knew that Sam wasn’t going to object? I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t care.

In response, Sam closed her eyes. _Great_ , I thought. _She’s going for the adorable Disney princess thing. Well, she **is** adorable…_

I brushed my lips against hers, closing my eyes too. I’d kissed before, a few times. I’d never been terribly impressed with it. And honestly, even with whatever was happening to my head, this one wasn’t much better. I pulled away, keeping my face close to Sam’s.

She opened her eyes to look directly in mine. “Lara Croft. I think you are the best thing in the world, and that’s not just the box talking.” She paused, probably because she liked seeing me blush again. “But oh my god, you need help with kissing.”

I grinned in spite of myself. “And you’re going to help me?”

“Of course I am.”

“So, Miss Nishimura,” I said in what my brain was sure was a sexy, husky voice, “what is the proper way to kiss?”

“Like this.” In one smooth motion, she swung her body around to put one knee between my legs, sitting back on her heels to bring her face even with mine. She looked me in the eye for just a moment before kissing me again.

She was right. It was better. So much better, in fact, that neither of us wanted to break it.

So we didn’t. Sam slipped her tongue between my lips as she tightened her grip on my shoulder and my waist. I responded in kind, placing my hands on her back and pulling her tighter against me… She slipped her hand under my shirt, her skin soft against mine. And surprisingly free of dirt.

“You know where this is going, right?” she asked after a moment of squeezing my side.

I did. “In the dirt, though?” I asked, more amused by the notion than anything.

Sam grinned. “If necessary. I doubt the great explorer Lara Croft is that concerned about getting dirty.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a ‘great explorer,’ but I –” Sam cut me off with another kiss. Her face felt warm against mine. Comforting. But I pulled away anyway. “– would prefer not to get dirt … you know.”

Sam’s eyes twinkled. “Okay. How about your shirt?”

I glanced down at my gray top, already discolored by dust. “I think it’s already there,” I said dryly.

She smirked. “So you won’t complain if it ends up on the ground, huh?”

I sighed dramatically. “Why not?”

Sam’s smirk stayed plastered to her face as she moved in to kiss me again, slipping her other hand down to my other hip, slowly sliding both hands up my side to pull my shirt with them, until she had to pull away to finish pulling it all the way off me. She looked down at my bra and my bare midriff, and now her eyes showed something else along with amusement. Something like hunger.

“Your muscles are really attractive, you know that?” she murmured, tracing over my abs with her thumb as she kissed my cheek.

“Glad you think so.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve always liked muscled girls. You know that.” Did I? Maybe I had, subconsciously.

She ran a finger around the base of my bra. “Always liked well-endowed girls too,” she added, maybe more to herself than to me. “They don’t go together very often.”

“Guess you got lucky,” I teased.

“Oh, I fully intend to get lucky,” Sam replied with a self-effacing grin. I rolled my eyes as she started to pull at the base of the bra. I put my hand out to stop her.

“My turn,” I said with a grin, then reached out to slip her T-shirt off of her. A peach-and-white-striped bra. Cute. Very Sam.

She leaned toward me to whisper in my ear, even though we were the only people for God knew how far around. “You’re going to like what’s underneath even more.” My heart skipped a beat, the way it does when I find some spectacular treasure. Then another when I felt her wrap her arms around me and her hands grasp the closure on my bra, her touch feather-light.

As Sam unclasped the bra, I let out a breath. Whether from excitement or exhilaration, or from the underwire releasing its hold on me, I’m not sure. But I was sure that, breath or no breath, I was feeling a little light-headed staring Sam in the eye, her staring and smiling back at me - and I didn’t think that was the work of the box.

She gently drew the straps down my arms so the bra fell in my lap, then smiled at me in silence for a moment. “Your turn,” she said quietly. As if automatically, I reached up to undo her bra, and slip it off her arms the same way. That was the goal, at least. My hands shook ever so slightly, making Sam chuckle.

“Sorry,” I muttered, as much to myself as her. “I’m not as good at this as you are.”

“Never mind that,” she said, running a hand up through my hair, her arm pressing against my bare back. “You’re adorable.”

My cheeks had already been flushed, but at that I felt the heat grow even more. Sam twisted a bit so her breasts pressed against mine. “I know I’m smaller, but I’m still fond of them,” she murmured.

I looked down. “As am I.”

“You can touch them if you’d like, Lara,” she said lightly. “I think we left modesty behind some time ago.”

I decided I would like, and gently, experimentally ran my hand over the top of one. I felt a familiar, twisting sensation in my crotch, the sort that I usually felt one week a month and relieved with help from a vibrator. Somehow, Sam knew, because she smirked and pressed her knee against the middle of my jeans. At the same time, she took my hand in hers and pressed it tighter against her breast, moving my thumb against the edge of her areola. WIth her other hand, she took one of my breasts, running her thumb over my nipple.

I actually _whimpered_. Sam giggled, making me giggle back. “I don’t usually do that!” I said.

“Then you’ve never had anyone good enough for you,” she said sweetly.

The twisting feeling was only getting stronger, not being relieved by her rubbing, so I pushed my free hand under my jeans to rub myself through my underwear.

“How’s that feel?” Sam asked, sounding honestly curious.

“Nice,” I said. “But not enough.”

“What would be enough?”

I thought for just a second. “You.”

She smiled, a little wickedly. “Oh? Well, then…” She let go of my hand and my breast to reach down and unbutton my jeans, slipping them down just far enough for her to stroke over my clit.

“Mmm.” I sighed happily. “That’s really nice.”

“Is it ‘enough’?” she asked, her familiar teasing tone entering her voice.

I thought for a second. “It will be without the fabric.”

She raised her eyebrows. “I thought you didn’t want to undress in the dirty, dusty cavern.”

“It’s not a cavern,” I said. “It’s human-made, but —”

“Oh, my god,” she said, amused. “Shut _up_ , Lara.”

“— but you’re right,” I continued. “So… what if we just don’t do it here?”

Sam drew her hand back. “You’re suggesting we pack up our things, take Pandora’s Box, then hole up and have sex in our hotel room?”

I sighed. “You make it sound so… unrefined.”

“It _is_ unrefined.” She licked her lips. “But I’ve always liked it when all your refinement slips away.”

I smiled at her. “You’re about the only one who makes that happen.”

She grinned back. “I know. I’m proud of myself.”

“You should be.” I leaned in to kiss her again, gently this time, but just as passionately. We stayed that way for a minute, our hands caressing each other’s backs, before I pulled away. “We should start packing, I guess,” I said.

“That sounds good to me,” Sam replied, her eyes sparkling. “The faster we get out of here, the sooner I get you in my bed.”

My heart skipped two beats that time. “Now who’s being unrefined?” I teased.

She smiled. “Still you.”

“Shut _up_.”

“Make me.”

“I plan to.”

Sam snickered. “There’s the assertive Lara I love.”

I trailed my fingertips over her cheek as I reached down for my bra. “You had better.”

**Author's Note:**

> Time for an end credits song. [Let's have a sing.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-DbkfGqGDE)


End file.
